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Encyclopedia of Adolescence pp 36–45Cite as

Acculturation

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Acculturation was first defined as “phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first hand contact with subsequent changes in the original culture patterns of either or both groups” (Redfield et al. 1936, p. 149). This original definition stressed continuous, long-term change and allowed for the process to be bidirectional, wherein both of the interacting cultures could make accommodations. The course of the acculturation process has been described as flowing from contact between dominant and nondominant cultural groups to conflict or crises between those groups that eventually results in adaptationsby one or both of the conflicting groups. Based on the relationships to the immigrant’s culture of origin and the host culture, researchers have emphasized four cultural adaptation styles: separation, assimilation, biculturalism, and cultural marginality. Separation or enculturation has been linked to higher self-esteem....

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 3550, 325 Pittsboro St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550, USA

    Paul R. Smokowski

  2. Department of Social Work, University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Martica Bacallao

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  1. Paul R. Smokowski
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  2. Martica Bacallao
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Correspondence to Paul R. Smokowski .

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  1. Indiana University, 302 Sycamore Hall, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Roger J. R. Levesque

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Smokowski, P.R., Bacallao, M. (2011). Acculturation. In: Levesque, R.J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Adolescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_300

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1695-2_300

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